The Ketogenic Diet and Your Health Over 40

The Macros:

Once you hit the age of 40, your health and wellness game will change a bit. No longer can you take on fad diets at whim, or lose a dress (or pant) size in a week. Instead, your changing body will take a bit more care and focus to keep healthy. It’s a long and steady road at this point, filled with SMART goals and preventative care.

That doesn’t mean that it’s a dire case. There are many keys to maintaining your health after 40. They range from the obvious (don’t eat too many sweets) to the more specific (add strength training to your exercise routine.)

With all of the changes you need to make to your everyday health routine in your 40s, it may seem daunting to try to mix those new focuses in with the Keto Diet. But, in actuality, the opposite is true! The keto diet actually supports many of the tips, tricks, and recommendations for your health after 40. While it would take hours to delve into all of them, here are just a few examples of how the Keto Diet supports your health over 40.

Keto Diet over 40: Health Tips

1. Stick to a Schedule

Whether you are transitioning to the stage where the children are leaving the house, or you have reached the point where you are taking on more responsibility at work, maintaining a schedule is key to your health. If you find yourself running all over just to make your work meetings and events, you often won’t take the time to take care of your body. The same can be said for the other side of the spectrum, when you have more time than you are used to. Setting a schedule for the important things, i.e. family time, exercise, meals, and sleep, will help your body to function better overall, by keeping you making healthy decisions.

Those of us practicing the Keto Diet, know that a schedule and routine of some sort is necessary for success. If we don’t eat within certain time frames, we may splurge, and break our diet. Nothing can cause a moment of weakness like a blood-sugar crash. When we are too hungry to make good decisions, we don’t. Scheduling a Sunday night to meal prep can set us up for success for the entire week. Or planning your exercise around your I.F. can make a huge difference. Whatever your Keto Diet focus, it’s essential to follow a routine to ensure you get the best results.

Pro Tip: Make a schedule of important events, ( i.e. lunch, time with loved ones, bed time, etc.) and stick to it. Your healthy mind and body will thank you for it.

2. Exercise: The Right Stuff

Starting at about forty, you will lose 1% of muscle mass every year. On top of that, your metabolism slows by 2% per decade. Even your bone density gives out, dropping 1% each year starting in your mid-thirties. Exercise, especially low- to moderate-intensity exercise and strength training, is the key to quieting the tantrum your body is throwing.

You know that exercise on the Keto Diet is crucial, especially low- to moderate-intensity exercise. It’s been shown that your body actually works against your Keto Diet if you try to do high-intensity workouts. Studies show that the body reverts to fueling itself through glycogen stores during high intensity workouts, no matter what your intake. Since you have depleted the glycogen stores in your body to get into ketosis, this will leave your body without fuel for high intensity workouts.

Pro Tip: Set an appointment with a personal trainer to craft the best workout for your body. Many gyms will give you one for free, so take full advantage!

Studies have also shown that the keto diet actually enhances the body’s ability to burn fat during low- to moderate-intensity workouts. This means that your weight-loss efforts are maximized during these zones! Additionally, these workouts keep you fueled, and allow your body to recover and refuel after the fact.

3. Maintain Your Energy

Maintaining your energy levels is key to your over 40 health. This includes getting your full 8 hours of sleep every night, avoiding excessive caffeine, and keeping your stress at reduced levels. You can also boost your energy levels by eating right, moving more, and cutting out inflammatories like sweeteners. Steps like these help you to boost your energy levels and battle fatigue.

Better sleep and increased mental focus are just two of the many benefits of the keto diet. You know that you feel better and have more energy when you are in ketosis. You experience a better night’s sleep, and wake rested. You cut out sweeteners and alcohol in place of more healthy and keto-friendly treats. All of these new routines of your keto diet are helping your body in more ways than one!

Pro Tip: Set a hard limit to your caffeine consumption, and stick to it. This should include the amount of caffeinated drinks, as well as a cut off time. Though detoxing from a high-caffeine regiment won’t be fun at first, you’ll be amazed at the energy you have in the long run!

4. The Importance of Hydration

You know how important hydration is. It affects so many aspects of your health. Unfortunately, aging can actually make you more prone to dehydration. This is because your body detects thirst through receptors found in your brain. As you age, however, these receptors become less sensitive to water changes, making it harder for them to detect thirst. On top of this, your kidneys, which help your body conserve water, lose function as you age. All of this means that you will need to be proactive to stay hydrated.

Pro Tip: Have trouble drinking enough water each day? Add drinking one glass of water with each meal to start. Carrying a water bottle with you throughout the day will increase your awareness of your need to keep hydrated, and make it available at all times. Finally, add some lemon to appease your taste buds. You’ll find these little changes will lead to a big one!

Dehydration can have some serious long-term consequences for your aging body. In the long-term, dehydration can affect your body’s ability to absorb medicine, which can worsen medical conditions. Dehydration also increases fatigue, and causes you to gain weight.

One of the main components of your Keto Diet is, and always should be, getting enough water and keeping your body hydrated. Hydration, as we know, increases your body’s ability to burn fat. Maintaining healthy levels of hydration increase your mental clarity, fight fatigue, and even improve your skin. It fights the keto flu, makes you feel full, and even cures constipation. Getting your 9-12 glasses of water a day isn’t a decision, it’s a Must-Do.

Pro Tip: What if you could utilize fiber and stay hydrated, without keeping a schedule? Sounds too good to be true, right? It isn’t!!!!! Patriot Power Greens is a powder loaded with organic fruit, leafy greens, and extra digestive enzymes! Even without constipation, the organic and healthy ingredients are great for your overall health, without the added worry of carbohydrates.

Keto Diet For The Win

With all the added benefits of the Keto Diet to your everyday health routines and Over 40 Lifestyle, it’s really a win-win. Not only is your Ketogenic Diet helping you to improve your overall health and wellness, it’s specially tailored for your Over 40 Health Concerns. That’s one less worry on your plate, and one more reason to sleep soundly tonight!

For recipes, ideas, and an easier transition into the Keto Diet, check out: